Bubble-tea and iced-tea shops we checked, and how to cold-brew loose-leaf tea at home. For hot tea, tea rooms and loose-leaf shops, see the Los Angeles tea guide.
Inside the City of Los Angeles, boba clusters in Koreatown, on Sawtelle Boulevard and downtown. The densest scene in the region is outside city limits, in San Gabriel Valley towns such as San Gabriel, Arcadia and Rosemead, so we left those shops out of this list. Downtown lost Cha Redefine and two Little Tokyo shops in 2026; the list below reflects what is open now.
9 Los Angeles shops, checked as open on 2026-10-01. Listed in no particular order; this is not a ranking.
| Tea | Leaf per Water | Example Batch | Steep and Serve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green or white tea | 8.5–10.6 g per litre | 9 g leaf : 1 L cold water | Fridge 6–8 hours, strain, drink as is (Rishi) |
| Black tea or oolong | 8.5–10.6 g per litre | 9 g leaf : 1 L cold water | Fridge 8–10 hours, strain, drink as is (Rishi) |
| Taiwanese oolong, lighter batch | 7 g per litre | 7 g leaf : 1 L cold water | 2–3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge (Eco-Cha) |
| Herbal blends and rooibos | 8.5–10.6 g per litre | 10 g : 1 L cold water | Fridge 10–12 hours for herbal (Rishi), at least 12 hours for rooibos (Rooibos.Africa) |
| Sencha, quick concentrate | 10 g per 210 ml | 10 g leaf : 210 ml chilled water | 15 minutes undisturbed, small glasses (Ippodo) |
| Where It Steeps | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator, 40 °F (4 °C) or colder | 6–12 hours by tea type | Green and white shortest, herbal and rooibos longest. The FDA puts a safe fridge at 40 °F or below. |
| Room temperature | 2–3 hours (Taiwanese oolong only) | Eco-Cha’s short counter steep; strain and refrigerate the tea once it is done. |
| Chilled water, quick | 15 minutes (sencha) | Ippodo’s method gives a small, concentrated cup rather than a pitcher. |
Sources: Rishi Tea & Botanicals, How to Make Iced Tea; Eco-Cha, How to Brew Oolong Tea; Ippodo Tea, Cold Brew Sencha; Rooibos.Africa, Brewing; FDA, Refrigerator Thermometers: Cold Facts about Food Safety.
Every tea type, with leaf weight and fridge time: Cold-Brew Tea Ratio Chart.
We checked 9 Los Angeles bubble-tea and iced-tea shops as open on 2026-10-01: Odd One Out (Sawtelle) (Sawtelle), 7 Miles Tea Lab (Sawtelle) (Sawtelle), 3CAT Handcrafted Beverage (Koreatown), Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea (Koreatown) (Koreatown), Boba Guys (Historic Filipinotown) (Historic Filipinotown), Hey Hey (Echo Park), Moon Rabbit (Downtown LA (Grand Central Market)), Loose Leaf Boba Co (DTLA) (Downtown LA (Biltmore)) and Bubble U (Fashion District (DTLA)).
Moon Rabbit list brown sugar boba on their own menus or listings.
7 Miles Tea Lab (Sawtelle), 3CAT Handcrafted Beverage, Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea (Koreatown) make fruit teas, according to their menus or listings.
Use about 9 g of leaf per litre of cold water and steep it in the fridge: 6–8 hours for green or white tea, 8–10 hours for black or oolong, 10–12 hours for herbal blends (Rishi’s guidance). Strain, then keep it refrigerated at 40 °F or colder.